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King Diamond – Give Me Your Soul… Please
Metal Blade – Jun 26, 2007
By Ryan Starr
What can be said about King Diamond. The guy is an icon in the metal world. Mercyful Fate took the genre by storm, revolutionizing metal, and his solo work continued the tradition. Everyone should own at least something from his extensive discography. But perhaps it’s best to start earlier and work your way up to his latest release Give Me Your Soul… Please. It has everything you expect in a king diamond, but I feel its lacking a certain energy that the classics had. The music is good, but it just doesn’t inspire me like Abigaill did.
A well conceived story is at the center of every King Diamond album, in this case, a story about two young girls murdered by their father. The King’s soaring vocals and well written lyrics are the focal point of the album. He does a fantastic job and I’m amazed he can still hit those notes. The band on the other hand does a decent job of creating an eerie vibe while maintaining that classic metal style, but there is no life in their playing. I also think the lead work could be stronger. They just sound really bland and uninspired. Anyone can play scales and one string melodies, but you also need feel and energy which I think is lacking. You need to know why you’re playing the notes.
While the vocals are strong, the music just doesn’t stand up to it. I almost feel like the band went back and listened to all the old records to decide what they should write for this album instead of getting their inspiration from the story. Any band can go on stage and play something, but a good band knows why they are playing.
Official King Diamond Website
Official Metal Blade Website
Metal Blade – Jun 26, 2007
By Ryan Starr
What can be said about King Diamond. The guy is an icon in the metal world. Mercyful Fate took the genre by storm, revolutionizing metal, and his solo work continued the tradition. Everyone should own at least something from his extensive discography. But perhaps it’s best to start earlier and work your way up to his latest release Give Me Your Soul… Please. It has everything you expect in a king diamond, but I feel its lacking a certain energy that the classics had. The music is good, but it just doesn’t inspire me like Abigaill did.
A well conceived story is at the center of every King Diamond album, in this case, a story about two young girls murdered by their father. The King’s soaring vocals and well written lyrics are the focal point of the album. He does a fantastic job and I’m amazed he can still hit those notes. The band on the other hand does a decent job of creating an eerie vibe while maintaining that classic metal style, but there is no life in their playing. I also think the lead work could be stronger. They just sound really bland and uninspired. Anyone can play scales and one string melodies, but you also need feel and energy which I think is lacking. You need to know why you’re playing the notes.
While the vocals are strong, the music just doesn’t stand up to it. I almost feel like the band went back and listened to all the old records to decide what they should write for this album instead of getting their inspiration from the story. Any band can go on stage and play something, but a good band knows why they are playing.
Official King Diamond Website
Official Metal Blade Website
